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Information Classification: CONTROLLED

Cornwall Monitoring Report Falmouth Town Report

December 2019

Falmouth Town Report 20191 Falmouth Town Centre Survey


1.1 The annual survey of town centre uses was undertaken in June 2019. A map and tables detailing the town centre uses including the health check data by street are appended to this report.

1.2 With 371 units, Falmouth is the third largest centre in Cornwall after Truro and Penzance.

1.3 The quantity of units by use class has been surveyed over the last 8 years and is recorded in Table 1 below. The reduced number of total units counted in 2012 can be explained by the survey using the smaller GOAD town centre boundary prior to the review of town centre boundaries and their inclusion into the draft local Plan in 2013.

Table 1 Falmouth Town Centre Uses by Survey Year

Survey Year A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 B1a D1 D2 Vacan

tOthe

rTota

l

% Vacanc

y

% Cornwall Vacant

2019 194 28 57 17 16 5 10 7 30 7 371 8.1 11.22018 197 28 62 17 16 5 11 7 25 7 375 6.7 10.32017 201 30 60 14 15 5 10 6 26 8 375 6.9 9.62016 200 29 60 17 14 5 10 6 19 8 368 5.2 9.42015 199 31 66 18 14 4 9 5 17 7 370 4.6 9.12014 198 39 59 20 15 3 9 6 15 5 369 4.1 8.62013 199 38 59 17 15 2 9 4 20 5 368 5.4 8.42012 173 27 44 16 11 3 5 4 27 4 314 8.6 8.7

1.4 There were some notable changes to Falmouth this year, namely; a reduction to both the A1 and A3 uses and an increase to the number of units falling vacant. National retailers to close their stores include Marks and Spencer’s, Pandora, Henri Lloyd and Carphone Warehouse; all leaving empty shops in Market Street. Richard Cook, the independent furnishers also closed after trading for 30 years in the town. New additions to the high street include Racky’s shoes; an independent shoe retailer with stores in most Cornish towns, an antiques shop within the former Chandlers Bosun’s Locker on Upton Slip and a new lifestyle shop ‘Bygone Trading’ opened in the Curious Hall on Webber Street. 1.5 The Greek restaurant; Stavros, which also has a presence in Newquay, was replaced by a chicken fast food outlet after only a year of trading within the town. Part of the derelict site of the former 8 Bar Kitchen on Webber Street had been demolished and therefore removed from the survey. There was also the usual rebranding of existing café /restaurants but with an overall net decrease of 5 units to the A3 use class with four of these remaining vacant at the time of the survey.

The Chain Locker, The Kings and the Cutty Sark pubs all reopened in 2018 after undergoing substantial renovations. Mango Tango which had been closed since 2016, also reopened. However, Mono, the new bar on Killigrew Street closed after only two years of trading and remained vacant this year. As part of the devolution deal, Falmouth’s One Stop Shop relocated in 2018 into the newly renovated former


Old Post Office on The Moor. It is now known as Falmouth Information Services and is also home to the town centre manager, the BID manager and the Town Council offices.

1.6 As with all town centres, the dominant use is A1 retail and this has seen little change in recent years with A1 retail retaining about a 54% share of units within the town centre over the previous 5 years. However, last year it fell by 1% and by 1% again this year to 52% although is still performing above the Cornwall average of 49.9%. Similarly, the proportion of A1 uses that make up the Prime Shopping Area has remained constant at around 55% which is in the top half of all Cornish centres.

1.7 The number of vacant units increased by 5 units, or 1.4% to 8.1%; its highest rate since 2012. The Cornwall average has risen again for the 7th consecutive year indicating that vacancy rates are increasing in the majority of Cornish towns.

Convenience, Comparison and Service Uses within the Town Centre

1.8 To measure the diversity of a town centre the A class retail element is split into three main categories; convenience, comparison and service uses. The ‘health’ of a town can be monitored by tracking the proportion of these sectors over time and comparisons with other towns can then be made. This method therefore excludes the non-retail premises such as community and leisure facilities (D2), clinics and surgeries (D1) and offices within B1a use, hence reducing the number of units monitored.

Table 2 Retail Sectors of Falmouth Town Centre 2014-2019

Sector 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Cornwall Average

2019

National

Average 2018

No % No % No % No % No % No %

Convenience 32 9.1 29 8.3 30 8.7 31 8.8 28 8.0 26 7.5 8.0 10.04Comparison 143 40.9 14

5 41.4 141 40.8 137 38.9 135 38.6 13

6 39.2 38 36.9

Service 159 45.4 158 45.1 155 44.8 15

7 44.6 161 46 154 44.4 40.7 37

Vacant 15 4.3 17 4.9 19 5.5 26 7.4 25 7.1 30 8.6 12.5 12.9Miscellaneous 1 0.3 1 0.3 1 0.3 1 0.3 1 0.3 1 0.3 0.8 1.16

Total 350 100 350 100 346 100 35

2 100 350 100 347 100 100 100

Sources: CC Update 2014-2019 Experian GOAD National Average 2018

1.9 The results from the surveys conducted over the last 6 years can be seen in Table 2 along with the latest Cornwall and National averages. There has been a net loss of three units through the merger of two existing shops and a unit now classified as being in B1a use and Beerwolf Books reclassified as in D2 use. Both of these uses are excluded from the retail sectors.

1.10 Falmouth’s convenience sector reduced by two units with the closure of Halzephron Herbs and the Natural Store. The net loss of 2 units reduces Falmouth’s convenience share to below the average in Cornwall to 7.5%.


1.11 The comparison sector remains in line with the Cornish average with both declining by more than 3% since 2013.

1.12 The service sector share has remained fairly constant over the time frame and remains higher than both the Cornwall and National averages. The market share of all sectors has remained relatively unchanged in Falmouth over the last few years. The strong service sector is partly a reflection of the town’s tourism role with the preponderance of restaurants, cafes and bars – having more than any other town in Cornwall. Indeed, 90 out of the 347 units or 26% of the town’s retail units comprise of food and drink establishments.

1.13 Using the vacancy rates recorded over the Plan period, the graph below illustrates the changes to the vacancy rate over the last 9 years in comparison to the Cornwall average. It shows that since a peak in 2012 the vacancy rates in Falmouth have fallen continuously until their lowest point in 2014 but since then has been gradually on the increase. This year the rates for both Falmouth and Cornwall have returned to the levels recorded back in 2012, reflecting the current difficulties within the high street generally. Although Falmouth continues to have one of the lowest rates of all the Cornish towns remaining in 5th place out of the 16 surveyed.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 20190

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Prortion of Vacant Units in Falmouth Compared to the Cornwall Average

FalmouthCornwall Average

Survey Year

% Vacant

GOAD 2011, CC data 2012-19 (Health Check Data)

1.14 14 of the 30 vacant units fell vacant this year. Three of the units have been vacant for 4 years or more. One half of the long term vacant units that make up the former 8 Bar/Kitchen along Webber Street has been demolished leaving the remaining half derelict and currently boarded up. As yet, there is no indication to what may replace it.

1.15 Vacant units vary in size from between 10-2679 sqm, with the largest being Marks and Spencer’s with the former Richard Cook furnishers being the next largest vacant unit with 659 sqm situated on Killigrew Street.

1.16 Falmouth is a maritime town with the largest port in Cornwall with the docks being a major contributor to the town’s economy. The port attracts cruise ships, luxury yachts and associated boat building industries. Falmouth is also a ‘student


town’ being home to Falmouth University at the Woodlane campus and the Falmouth Marine School. Falmouth University shares the Penryn campus at Tremough with the University of Exeter. The adjacent town of Penryn has a supportive role to play and has influenced the location of the out of town stores with the supermarkets being located between the two towns. A commercial area with larger retail units and showrooms has developed along Commercial Road in Penryn leading into Falmouth Road towards Falmouth.

1.17 Within the town centre area is the Falmouth School of Art Postgraduate Centre, the Falmouth Art Gallery, National Maritime Museum and Falmouth Water Sports Association all adding to the vibrancy of the town. Not only is Falmouth a thriving harbour with its natural beauty of the Fal River, AONB and the Helford River, it hosts all year round attractions such as exhibitions, festivals, water sports and international sailing events. It also has its beaches, national gardens and Pendennis Castle as added attractions.

Retailer Representation

1.18 The number of major multiple retailers in Falmouth town centre reduced by 2 to 12 this year with the closure of Marks and Spencer’s and Carphone Warehouse. Previously, it had reduced by one in 2015 with the closure of Phones 4 U although this was eventually replaced by EE last year. Falmouth currently ranks third in Cornwall’s retail hierarchy based on major national retailer representation. Relevant stores include Boots, WHSmith, Wilkinson, Tesco, New Look, Clarks, Superdrug, O2, Vodaphone and EE.

Supermarket Representation

1.19 Within the town centre is a Tesco Metro (3010 sqm net) and a Tesco Express (388 sqm net).

Edge of Centre

1.20 There is a medium size Sainsbury store on Falmouth Road, Ponsharden and a Lidl on the roundabout between Penryn and Falmouth. Pets at Home opened in 2017 adjacent to the Lidl store.

Out of Town Centre

1.21 On the western approach towards Falmouth at Penryn is an ASDA superstore on Kernick Road (A39) providing 8,454 sqm gross of retail floor space.

1.22 There is also a neighbourhood shopping area south west of the town centre along Boslowick Road, within the Swanvale area of Falmouth. Shops include a post office / McColl, a beauty salon, a hair salon, barbers, a fish & chip shop and a charity shop. The former post office unit which is currently vacant has obtained permission to convert to B1a office use. On the opposite side of the road is a Co-op store within a converted pub, formerly The Clipper Way Inn, with a net floor space of 292.8 sqm.


2 Significant Decisions made in the past year

2.1 There were no significant retail permissions granted within the past year but there are some extant retail permissions relevant to the town, described below. Other permitted major developments are also included here.

2.2 A mixed use retail and office building on land to the north of Tregoniggie Industrial Estate was given approval in July 2017 under PA15/10305. A four storey building is proposed with a retail area of A1(400 sqm) and A3 (160 sqm) on the ground floor, B1a office and D2 leisure uses on the first floor with the top two floors to be used for B1a; providing a total office space of 1735 sqm. The proposal replaces a scheme for 42 live/work units which expired this April.

2.3 Construction has begun on two retail units (249 sqm) with 2 first floor flats granted under permission PA15/02387. The proposal falls within the town centre area on land adjacent to Discovery Quay, south of the National Maritime Museum.

2.4 The permission to relocate the existing Sainsbury store to an adjacent brownfield site under PA11/03515 expired in 2016. The store would have provided 3900 sq m convenience / 2,800 sq m comparison goods retail floor space. Due to changes in the retail market with more people shopping online and in convenience stores Sainsbury abandoned its plan to build what would have been the largest store in Cornwall. The site has subsequently been identified within the Council’s Adopted Site Allocations DPD (26th November 2019) as being potentially suitable for housing development up to 210 homes with a small element of retail provision, (Policy FP-H4). In the meantime, however, the 3.2 hectare site is being actively marketed for any redevelopment proposal, subject to planning permission.

2.5 In July 2018, outline permission was granted on land within part of allocation (Policy FP-M1) east of the Asda store, on Kernick Road, for 75 dwellings under PA17/01003. Also granted last year is the amended scheme for the former Spectrum offices at Stirling Court, Penryn. The consent is for a change of use totalling 19 flats under PA18/06765 and PA19/04032. The charity has relocated to new carbon neutral offices in Trevissome Park, Blackwater.

2.6 Outline permission was granted at appeal in November 2016 for up 69 extra care housing and a new community centre for the Bosvale Community Association on land directly south of the Boslowick shopping area under PA15/02640.

2.7 In August 2017, outline permission for 150 homes was approved on land at College Farm, Penryn under PA16/06414. The site is identified in the Site Allocations DPD, referenced as Policy FP-H1. This is on the southern side of the railway line opposite the 51 homes completed in May 2016 under PA14/00944.

2.8 Full planning permission granted under PA16/01003, for 104 homes, nears completion on the eastern third of a site allocated as Policy (FP-H3) on land off Union Corner and Kergilliack Road. The fields were previously used as football pitches by Falmouth School. Replacement pitches for the school have been provided on the


site of the former Budock Hospital. A further 37 dwellings have been approved this October under PA18/02967 within the adjacent phase of this allocated site.

2.9 PA16/06906 Twinbrook Park, Goldenbank, the permission on this park home site has clarified the capacity of the site in terms of the number of units and the permitted use which no longer includes holiday units. The permission for 78 residential caravans has enabled the inclusion of each unit (as they are delivered) to be counted towards the housing supply.

2.10 The former Falmouth Beach Hotel site which was devastated by fire in 2012 has been cleared and has permission to be redeveloped in conjunction with the adjacent St Michael’s Hotel which is in the same ownership. The revised scheme includes 54 residential apartments, a café/restaurant (200 sqm) and a shop (70 sqm) within 3 separate buildings, approved under PA17/11714. 14 flats are to be constructed on the site of The Captains House to the right of the hotel and a further 4 flats on the site of The Cottage to the left of the hotel remain extant under PA14/07349.

2.10 The 55 homes approved under PA16/05239 on land adjacent to Trenance, Round Ring, Penryn has been completed. The permission to convert the Madeira Hotel into 34 retirement flats is also now complete.

2.11 The site for 48 homes at Falmouth Golf Club has commenced, both phases of the development at Swanvale for 247 homes in total continue to progress with 50 homes completed in the last year. Phase 1 of the development at Kergillack Farm, Bickland Hill has commenced which will eventually deliver 300 homes within a phased development. Two further permissions have been granted recently at Bickland Hill for 38 homes and the Bickland Water site for 94 homes PA17/12160 is well under construction.

2.12 University Campus Penryn, as it is now known, submitted a section 73 application to allow the cap on student numbers at the Penryn campus to be lifted from 5000 to 7500 (full time equivalent). In March 2017, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved to grant delegated authority to the Service Director- Planning and Sustainable Development to approve this increase in student numbers subject to a section 106 obligation. To help to accommodate this increase, 1049 units of purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) have been approved at RM under PA16/10518 on land south of the campus. Other permissions to extend the educational facilities have been approved such as the AIR building extension. Also, phases 2 & 3 of the SERSF building for a new research, engineering and laboratory facility has also been approved, after the completion of phase 1 in 2016. The new sports centre and adjoining nursery with the combined floor area of 1862 sqm and the Koofi café extension were all completed in 2017.

2.13 Numerous other sites for PBSA have recently been granted at appeal towards the Falmouth side of the urban area. The Ocean Bowl permission PA17/04077 won its appeal to redevelop the site to provide 190 bed spaces within 5 blocks nears completion. Land at Fish Strand Hill adjacent to the town centre is for 112 beds, and


the former Coachworks site at Penwerris Lane has a scheme for 135 beds. The Rosslyn Hotel site also has permission, allowed at appeal, to be redeveloped into student accommodation with 117 student beds. Construction work has commenced on all three of these sites.

2.14 A major site for PBSA is the student village proposal granted in September 2018 under outline permission PA16/11983. The 20 hectare site is north of the Penryn campus and will accommodate up to 2000 bed spaces and includes A1 retail (1825 sqm), A3 (840 sqm), A4 (240 sq m), office space (4130 sqm), plus hotel and leisure facilities. Last October, a further 528 bed apartment building gained permission within half the site allocated under Policy FP-M2 within the Kernick Road industrial estate on Parkengue Road. Known as StudyTel, the six storey block will replace the employment units currently on the site. The scheme would also provide 449 sqm of B1a office/study space. A further portion of this industrial estate gained permission for an additional 329 beds on units 10-11d under PA18/05511 granted this June. The proposed development would occupy approximately one third of the land allocated in Policy FP-M2. The scheme would also provide 412 sqm of B1/B2 employment space, which is 41.2% of the total amount of employment space within the whole allocation. A Section 106 Agreement has been secured to relocate the climbing centre, Granite Planet, to an alternative location.

2.15 In total, 4285 student beds could be provided within this type of managed accommodation which will help to alleviate the pressure on demand for private housing within Falmouth and locate the majority of students out of the town. These major schemes have been permitted since February 2017 in reaction to the permitted increase in student numbers. These permissions are plotted on the map below and at the time of writing; only the development at Packsaddle Hill for 125 beds had completed.


Local Plan Retail Capacity Targets

3.1 Capacity targets for Falmouth and Penryn over the Plan period are shown in Table 3 below. These were prepared by GVA and extracted from the Cornwall Retail Study Update 2015. Their projections take into account the new Lidl discount food store (which opened in 2009) and the permission for the replacement Sainsbury store. They calculated that both these stores would eliminate the need to plan for any new convenience goods floor space up to 2030, as shown by the minus figures below.

Table 3 Local Plan Capacity Targets (sq m net)

Year 2014 2019 2024 2030Convenience -2215 -1164 -610 -10Comparison -9559 -4246 -2249 328

3.2 However, in respect to the issues affecting the UK grocery sector which has prevented Sainsbury from building a much larger replacement store, GVA adjusted the targets to show a small level of surplus capacity of 400 sqm net at 2019, 900 sqm at 2024 rising to 1,500 sqm net by 2030. The Consultants felt that this modest demand was not sufficient to warrant the allocation of land for an additional store.

3.3 The same scenario would apply with the comparison sector if the existing Sainsbury store converted to bulky goods floor space, again reflected by the minus figures in Table 3. Likewise, if it were not implemented, the surplus capacity would only be 500 sq m net at 2014 rising to 2650 sq m net by 2030. GVA again did not recommend the need to allocate future sites despite there being a significant requirement in 2030 as changes in circumstances could affect this level, 15 years into the future.

3.6 The map below shows the location of the out of town retail provision surrounding Falmouth and Penryn town centres and the expired Sainsbury’s relocation proposal. The map also shows the location of the permitted major housing schemes, the University Campus Penryn, the retail proposals on Discovery Quay and the site north of Tregonigge Industrial Estate. The map also shows the location of the PBSA sites which have recently gained permission.


Appendix

Table 1 Use Class by Street

Street A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 B1a D1 D2 Vacant Other Total

High Street 21 4 6 1 1 4 1 38Old Brewery Yard 2 1 1 4Prince of Wales Pier 8 1 1 10Market Strand 6 2 1 1 1 1 12Webber Street 6 1 3 10Webber Hill 1 1 2The Moor 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 13Berkeley Vale 8 4 1 1 2 1 1 18Brook Street 1 1Quarry Hill 1 1 1 3Killigrew Street 15 8 5 3 6 2 1 1 5 3 49Market Street 34 3 3 5 45Bells Court 1 1 2Fish Strand Hill 1 1 1 3Church Street 37 4 6 3 3 1 1 2 57Upton Slip 1 2 3Well Lane 2 1 3St George’s Arcade 9 1 10Arwennack Street 30 3 17 1 4 1 1 1 1 59Quay Street 2 1 2 6Custom House Quay 1 1 1 3Bank Place 1 1 2Grove Place 3 1 4Maritime House 2 2 1 5Discovery Quay 2 1 1 4Tidemill House 1 4 5Total 194 28 57 17 16 5 10 7 30 7 371Percentage 52.3 7.5 15.4 4.5 4.3 1.3 2.9 1.9 8.1 1.9 100


Table 2 Retail Sector by Street

Street Convenience

Comparison

Service

Vacant

Miscellaneous

Total

High Street 1 16 16 4 37Old Brewery Yard 2 1 1 4Market Strand 3 2 6 1 12Webber Street 5 2 3 10Webber Hill 1 1Prince of Wales Pier 1 8 1 10Market Street 4 29 7 5 45Bells Court 1 1Fish Strand Hill 1 1 2Church Street 3 31 19 2 55St George’s Arcade 8 1 1 10Well Lane 1 2 3Upton Slip 1 2 3Arwennack Street 3 25 26 1 55Bank Place 1 1 2Quay Street 1 3 2 6Custom House Quay 1 3 4Grove Place 3 3Maritime House 2 2 1 5Discovery Quay 1 2 3Tidemill House 1 4 5Killigrew Street 3 5 31 5 44The Moor 3 6 1 10Berkeley Vale 4 3 7 1 15Quarry Hill 2 2Total 26 136 154 30 1 347Percentage 7.5 39.2 44.4 8.6 0.3 100

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